Overhead door structure



A; v ROWE ETAL ,2

. OVERHEAD DOOR STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 16, 1938 April 22, m1.

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-tracls while assuring perfect Patented Apr. 22, 1941 2,239,273 OVEEADDOOR S'EBAU -1 Alvin V. Rowe and William A. burg, flit, assignors tolltowe N r. Gales- Manufacturing Company, Galesburg, iii, a corporationor Illinois Application September 16, 1938, Serial No. 230,233 (Cl.16-97) 7 Claims.

The present invention relates to an overhead door of the type used ongarages and warehouses. wherein the door comprises a plurality of panelsshiftable from door covering position to an overhead, angularlydisplaced horizontal position.

The present invention more specifically relates to an overhead doorsupported and guided through the agency .of rollers and tracks, andcontemplates the provision or a self-adjusting pintle support capable ofrendering the guide roller self-conformable to any irregularities in thetrack sections. It is important and desirable in structures of this typeto provide door panels which in closed position reside in proper fittingrelationship with the door jamb, but since sections of the guidetrackare curved or otherwise angularly offset, there .is 'a. tendency forbinding of the door panels and/or the guide means when the doorstructure is shifted between open and closed position. So, also,allowance must necessarily be made for expansion and contraction of thedoor and the jamb since in most material susceptible to variation underthe influence of weather conditions.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate the abovedifiiculties by providing a door structure, as above, compri hingedpanels or sections, and wherein the pintle or roller axis is arranged inclose proximity to the hinge axis.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a doorstructure, as abovahaving a rollor supporting pintle freely shiitableaxially of the hinge axis, but wherein the pintle is arrangedsubstantially in the central plane of the whereby to prothe door in theengagement with the door lambs in closed position.

Theprese t invention, according to another specific .7 t thereof,contemplates the provision of an integral or one-piece cooperative rsupporting guideway or track which further presents an extended flatsurface adapted for mounting directly upon the door frame.

According to one lrnownoonstruction method (1001' section,

adjacent panel or operation of mate freedom of to the door frame or doorthat; they are displaced relatively to the plane oi the jamh. Such a ingof a structural supporting member-necessarily results in a sacrifice ofrigidity, firmness,

instances important parts thereof are formed of It is accordinglyanother object of the present invention to provide a door and track orrail structure, as above, wherein one section of the track is adapted tobe engaged by a guide roller and an integral flange or track mountingsection extending from the roller guiding portion facilitates mountingsaid track structure direct- 1y upon the door frame or flatwise againstthe supporting or jamb portions of the doorway for direct supportthereby to provide a iirm, compact door mounting which may be readilyassembled. I s

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a doorsupporting track, as above, which may be formed oi sheet metal foreliminating swelling or shrinkage oi the door contacting portions of thejarnio.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a door andguide track or rail, as above, wherein. a roller guiding portion of thetrack, arranged in the plane oi the door lamb, is extended for providinga track mounting, in which structure the roller pintles are shiftedinwardly toward the central plane of the adjacent door panel tofacilitate operation of the door panels.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a compact doorguiding structure wherein guiding rollers and a guide track are alinedalong the central plane of the door panels and wherein door supportingmeans is cooperatively arranged so that its upward pull is exertedsubstantially in the same plane, whereby the normal holding and shiftingstresses are generally resolved in the direction of the center line ofthe door section to obviate the creation of stresses tending toangularly shift the door into a position to create additional sidefriction.

Yet an additional object oi the present invention is to provide a track,as above, having a roller engaging portion comprising an extended baseportion, as above, in which struck-out sections are provided andiormedinto the plane of spaced or onset unt 50 the se section for securementto a supporting frame.

Yet other and further objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent during the progress or the following specification, whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

- Fig. l is a rear elevation door being shown in omrative position withrespect to a s mm g 1:

of a garage door embodying the present invention, the

Fig. 2 is a detail sectional line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional .3-4 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view taken on the line 5-! of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is aperspective view showing the hinge view taken on the view taken on theline roller and track structure adjacent one side oi' the door, portionsof the track being broken away to show the internal roller structure;

Fig. 'l is a front elevation of the combined hinge and roller assemblyused in accordancewith the present invention, portions being broken awayto show the interior structure;

view taken on the line 2,sao,273

- section 42 is generally flat, being provided adjapanels to becomejammed or resist shifting between open and closed position.

The guideway or track sections shown in Figs. 1 to 6 comprise a curved,arcuate roller engaging portion 38 and a base portion 40, said portionsbeing oppositely arranged to extend along either side of the rollersguided thereby, and being integrally joined by a web section 42. The webcent the arcuate guide section 38 with a portion 44 which is slightlyinclined when observed in cross-section (Figs. 2 and 4), so that the web42 will at all times clear the roller and permit freeanti-frictionoperation thereof in the guidey.

It is extremely important to note that the base portion 40 of theguideway is extended for a relatively great distance away from the web42 and beyond the free end of the curved section 38 for the purpose ofproviding a track mounting section, aswill hereinafter appear more indetail.

The guideway has sections 46 extending along adjacent sides of thedoorway and joining at their prises four panels i0 mounted-in operativerelationship to a doorway or door frame I2 formed in the front wall l4of a garage or similar structure, and provided with a roof and ceilingstructure ii. It is to be noted that each of the four door sections orpanels ll span the door opening and int-eriorly. overlap. the door frameI! a short distance. The panels are, moreover, relatively pivoted orarticulated by means of the plurality of hinges I8 and" on the interiorsurface thereof.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 2. 4 and 6 to 8, inclusive, the hingesadjacent the marginal side edges of-the door are so constructed thatthey each mount a guide roller means for cooperating with the guidewayor guide track. More specifically the hinges 20 comprise upper and lowersections 22 and 24, respectively, which are relatively pivotal about thecentral axis A.

apertured as at 54 upper ends with curved sections 48 which merge withthe generally horizontal-sections 50 adjacent the ceiling. It istheupstanding sections 4| with which the present invention is' moreparticularly concerned, and these are provided with mounting orfastening tabs 52 which are bodily struck out of the web portion 42 ofthe guideways and formed into substantially the same plane as the baseportions 40. The tabs are to receive lag bolts 50, or other suitablefastening means, engaging into the door frame l2.

In Figure 9 a modified mounting or fastening structure designated by thenumeral '52:: is

The lower portion 24 of the hinge is provided with a guideway 20,parallel with theaxis of the hinge and slidably mounting a 'guide rollerassembly 28. The portion of the guide roller as sembly engaged by theguideway '28 comprises a bifurcated supporting plate It which at itsrighthand end,'as viewed in Fig. '7, is provided with an inwardly andupwardly extending flange 32,

rigidly mounting adjacent its upper end a pintle 34 upon which isrotatably journalled a roller 86.

Attention is particularly directed to the fact that the axes of thehinge and the roller 38 are accordingly in the same horizontal planewhen en aging and track frame l2, wherefore they are secured in positionand admit of securement in the parts are in normal. uprightpositlon. asv shown. So, also, the combined hinge and roller assembly, when mountedin operative relationship upon the door panel by means of bolts 31. asshown in Figs. 1 and cr'provides an arrangement wherein this plane issubstantially equal to'the plane of the adiacent horizontal panel edges.

In accordance with'this structure it will be obvious thatthe rollerassembly is shiftable axially with respect to the hinge, to the end thatthe roller is self-conformable to abnormal irregularities in theadjacent track sections; and moreover, that the cooperative arrangementof the hinge and pintle at the corner of the panel redues: to a minimumany tendencyof thedoor shown- This constitutes an angle iron section,one flange ofwhich is suitably secured as by means of welding totheouter surface of the web portion 42, the other flange being providedwith an aperture Ila corresponding with the aperture 64 previouslydescribed.

It is contemplated. in accordance with the present invention, that'theguide or track sections be formed of some suitable material such assheet steel so as to be free. from swelling, expansion, or distortion,such as eventually characterizes the wooden frames, lambs, andsupporting members sometimes employed. That is to say, by virtue of theone-piece integral roller supporting extension, all portions of the doorcontacting or supporting .surfaces are constrained by a means which isinsusceptible to deformation under the influence oiseasonal or weatherconditions. Moreover, it should be noted that the upstandin guidesections 48 are mounted flatwise against'the door firmly and rigidlysuch a fashion that they will notbecome' loosened or displaced in rvice.

An alternative preferred form ofguide track shown in Fig. 10, whereinthe base portion 40 is provided with countersunk apertures II forreceiving flat head fasteners, and it will be understood from thisdisclosure that the present invention contemplates the use ofany'suitable fasteners for mounting the guides, as shown, as well as anydesired combination thereof. It will e apparent that a lag in theapertures 88. in view of the fact that the presence of the screw headwill not interfere ,with the movement of the, rollers within the trackstrucscrew or any other suitableheaded screw can be ture. In otherwords, due to the integral extended track section, these apertures 58are positioned to one side of the roller engaging portion of the trackstructure out of the path of movement of said rollers. Furthermore, bypositioning the apertures 58, as shown, the screw heads may be readilyreached by a turning tool such as a screw driver. This is a feature ofconstrucceiling adjacent the rearward end of the track,

as shown in Fig. 3. Means is provided for partially or fullycounteracting the weight of the door and comprises a pair of supportingcables 64 passing over pulleys 66 mounted in the frame 60 and beingsecured at their upper ends to the wall M, as at 68. -Intermediate ofthe pulley 66 and the point'of attachment 68, the cables pass aboutsheaves Ill engaged with the righthand end of tension springs 12, theother ends of which are hooked about a suitable projection on thebrackets 62. The lower ends of the cables extend to corner brackets 1dat the lower corners of the lowermost door sections Hi. It should benoted that the corner brackets 18 comprise extensions fianged about theguides 46' and connected to the cables 64 at a point in verticalalinement with the several pintles 31.

It will be obvious from the above disclosure that'the tension springs 12normally exert a force upon the sheave I0 tending to draw it in theleft-hand position, exerting a resultant upward force upon the cables M.This force will be such as to counterbalance completely or partially theweight of the door, and greatly facilitates movement thereof to open andclosed position. It will be further understood that when it is desiredto open the door, a suitable handle, such as that indicated by thereference numeral 16, will be actuated upwardly to cause the doorassembly to ride upwardly and rearwardly in the trackways providedtherefor until in final open position the several door sections Ill willassume a position in substantial alinement with the generally horizontaltrack sections 50.

It is of great importance tonote that in accordance with the presentinvention the counterbalancing forces exerted by the cables 64 areapplied centrally with respect to the door panels and with therespective roller supporting pintles which are similarly mountedsubstantially in the central planes of their adjacent door panels. As aresultof the cooperative arrangement ofthe aforementioned parts thecounterbalancing forces applied to the door, as well as the incidentalresistingand frictional forces, are all applied in substantially centralalinementwith the door when it is arranged across the doorway. It hasbeen found that the present improved structure results in elimination ofunbalanced forces having a tendency to relatively cant or twist the doorsections and frictionally resist or prevent ready movement of the doorin its tracks. The present-invention, moreovenprovides a door structureof the overhead type which may be readily applied to any door frame orlamb and requires no special equipment or-abillty to result in a smoothfunctioning door. The pres- So, also, warping or dimensional changes inthe door jamb or frame necessarily are substantially completelyeliminated with the use of an integral roller engaging and mountingsection.

The present invention, moreover, provides a guiding structure which isof. extreme compactness in that no portions thereof extend appreciablyout of the bounding planes oi. the adjacent door sections, being allarranged so that it extends along the side edges of the door in closedposition and not projecting rearwardly or forwardly thereof for anysubstantial distance. It is evident, therefore, that the presentimproved structure results in a door which may be equally eflicientlyand accurately fitted to the doorway to provide a free and smoothopening assembly which is permanent and reliable in operation.

The claims in the present application are directed' more particularly toan overhead door structure. The subject matter of the track con-'struction per se, as disclosed and claimed, forms the subject matter ofthe disclosure and claims of our copending application Serial No.261,812,

.filed March 14, 1939, now Patent Not 2,196,903,

Apr. 9, 1940, a division of the present application.

Changes may 'be made in the form, arrangement, and construction of theseveral parts without departing from the spirit or scope of theinvention or sacrificing any of its attendant advantages, and the rightis hereby reserved to make all such arrangements as fairly fall withinthe scope of the following claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

l. A combined hinge and roller support device adaptedto be used in anoverhead door con- 7 struction, including a plurality of door panelsadapted to be hingedly connected along adjacent edges, a guide track fordirecting said panels between a substantially vertical door closing position and a substantially horizontal overhead open position, a pair ofsaid combined hinge and roller support devices connecting adjacentpanels on opposite sides thereof and carrying rollers adapted to roll insaid guide track, said combined hinge and roller support deviceincluding a pair of hingedly connected plates secured to the rearsurface of adjacent panels, and a roller supporting structure carried byone of said hinge plates, said roller supporting structure comprising asection traversing one of said hingeplates and a portion extendinglaterally with respect to the planes of the panels to provide a rollersupport for positioning the axis of the roller between the planes inwhich the front and rear door surfaces lie when said panels occupy theirnormal door closing position.

i 2. A combined hinge and roller. support device adapted to be used inan overhead door construction, including a plurality of door panelsadapted to be hingedly connected along adjacent edges, a guide track fordirecting s' between a substantially vertical door sition and asubstantially horizontalo rhead open position. a pair of said combinedhinge an roller support devices connecting adjacent pan- .els onopposite sides thereof and carrying rollpanels 8- P ers adapted to rollin said guide track, said combined hinge and roller support deviceincluding a pair of hingedly connected plates secured to the rearsurface of adjacent panels, and a roller supporting structure carried byone of said hinge vplates, said roller supporting structure comprising asection traversing and slidably mounted upon one of said hinge platesanda portion ex- 7 tending laterally with respect to the planes of thepanels to provide a between a substantially vertical door closingposition and a substantially horizontal overhead open position, a pairof said combined hinge and roller support devices connecting adjacentpanels on opposite sides thereof and carrying rollers adapted to roll insaid guide track, said combined hinge and roller support deviceincluding a pair of hingedly connected plates secured to the rearsurface of adjacent panels, and a roller supporting structure carried byone of said hinge plates, said roller supporting structure comprising asec-. tion' traversing one of said hinge plates and a portion extendinglaterally with respect to the planes of the panels to provide a rollersupport for positioning the axis of the roller in substantial alignmentwith adjacent horizontal edges of said door panels and between theplanes in edges, a guide track for directing said panels which the frontand rear door surfaces lie when said panels occupy position.

4. A combined hinge and roller support adapted for use in an overheaddoor construction includtng a pair of hingedly connected plates,'eachplate having one lateral side surface adapted to clampingly engage anadjacent side surface of a door panel for disposing a pair of doorpanels in adjacent hinged relationship, roller supporting means mountedon one of said plates at a point laterally spaced from the hinge axisand having a portion extending laterally therefrom and including meanslocated outwardly beyond said clamping surface and supporting a rollerin an axis laterally spaced from said hinge axis and approximately in aplane including said hinge axis and extending perpendicularly to saidPlate.

5. A combined hinge and roller support as delined in claim 4, whereinsaid roller supporting mounting means comprises means mounting saidsupport on said one of said plates for movement relatively shiftably inan axial direction.

6. A combined hinge and roller supporting device as deilned in claim 1,wherein said roller support is positioned substantially centrallybetween the planes in which the front and rear door surfaces lie whensaid normal door closing position.

7. A combined hinge and roller support as deflnedin claim 4 wherein saidmeans located outwardly beyond the clamping surface supports said rollerin an axis positioned between the planes in which the front and reardoor surfaces lie when the door is in closed position.

ROWE.

ALVIN V.

- A. NORBERG.

their normal door closing panels occupy their v

